brrfandomcom-20200214-history
M c09s01
Text "That's the last of it." Scrivener glanced over his shoulder towards Luna as he carefully fitted a painting wrapped in several layers of thick cloth into the back of the repaired wagon: they had simply gutted the interior and broken down much of the frame to replace it with the squat, rectangular body that now made it up. It was smaller and left them less room, but Luna and Scrivener had long ago figured out the short list of things they wanted to bring with them to Looking Glass World when the time came for it, and they had few possessions that were irreplaceable that hadn't already been moved. As it was, the ironwood-fortified wagon would likely make it across the Bifrost. The heavy-duty Pegasus Guard wagons they had found in the ruins of Canterlot, after all, usually lasted two, even three trips back and forth before the armored wagons became so brittle that a simple knock would cause their surfaces to crack apart like cheap porcelain. But neither of them wanted to take the chance that the ironwood could be eaten through, letting enough of the powerful energies of the Bifrost into the interior of the carriage that these few material possessions that held such meaning to them would be destroyed. The paintings of Scrivener Blooms, Twilight Sparkle, Scarlet Sage and others, books and sketchbooks and notepads, an odd collection of quills and fancy ink jars and a few other odds and ends; these were all things that had been packed into the back of the wagon, all of it wrapped in thick cloth and often insulated further by pillows and cushions. Then Scrivener grimaced a bit as he stepped back, rolling his shoulders absently in his armor… and he smiled despite himself at the way it clung to his frame, at how natural it felt now over his body as he looked towards Luna and said softly: "I remember when I used to complain about this." "Thou still complains about it, Scrivy. Thou complains about everything, 'tis what thou does." Luna replied with a slight smile, drawing her eyes over him slowly, all the same proud of the way he moved so naturally now in his armor after so many years of learning to stand and fight alongside the winged unicorn. "But thou looks good… if I may say so with perhaps only a touch of pride and self-satisfaction." Scrivener smiled amusedly at her as he leaned back and posed for a moment: only the heavy helm protecting his head, engraved with the emblem of the ash tree, hadn't been forged by Luna. The rest, from the silver pauldrons that armored his shoulders, engraved with the crescent moon, to the black breastplate over his body, silvery chain mesh along his hindquarters and legs, and the supple dark leather that acted as cushioning between metal and flesh, had all been shaped and pieced together by the powers of the winged unicorn. "You, immodest? Never." "Thou art a braggart and a fool." Luna smiled amusedly all the same, however, and then she stepped back and rose to her full height, spreading her wings slightly as she rose her head imperiously. "And 'tis done like this, Scrivener Blooms. Thou must be bold!" Scrivy laughed as she posed, but he drew his eyes admiringly along her body all the same: she was clothed in armor just a tad lighter blue than her body, her helm designed to cradle her tall, spired horn, the layered plates of metal over the thick dragon-scale leather that tightly clothed her body spaced so that her wings could comfortably rest through the slots in the armor. She was beautiful, powerful, alluring… and Scrivener's gaze was both adoring and tender as he drew his eyes along the front of her armor, where she had etched both lunar symbols and a tangle of dark roses, the engraving almost glowing black. Then Luna leaned forwards with a soft smile as she relaxed, reaching a hoof up and quietly adjusting the new pair of glasses on Scrivener's face, making the male snort in entertainment. "Don't do that, Luna. It's bad enough you insist on recreating them and shoving them on my face every time I lose a pair… I don't need your hoof-prints all over them too. Also, you have a very bad habit of sticking things in my eye." "Thou has pretty eyes. Like a mare's. 'Tis only the natural course that something should end up being poked into them by their own gravid magnetism." Luna retorted, and Scrivener looked at her blankly, not knowing how to take this statement even with the link they shared. Then Luna huffed and swung a hoof at him, and Scrivy winced as he blocked this with a foreleg before stepping quickly out of range when she attempted to swat him again. "Frustrating creature." "One day, Luna, you'll be normal. And that will be both a very boring and very happy day, even if I'm sure that the day after you'll be back to your usual insanity." Scrivener said dryly, and Luna rolled her eyes before the two stepped forwards and headbutted one-another lightly, then the male reached up and gently stroked a hoof across her armored breast, the engraved patterning glowing faintly as he felt not only it, but secreted beneath the armor, the black pearl that Luna wore over her heart. She softened as she drew her eyes over him… and then both winged unicorn and earth pony glanced towards the deconstructed patio, where Pollen and puppet-bodied Pinkamena were pulling up the last of the ironwood boards that made up the front of their cabin. They were working efficiently, Pollen covered in dirt and Pinkamena grumbling as she roughly yanked boards loose, but then piled them neatly and precisely, every now and then straightening out the stack she had formed off to one side. Pollen, meanwhile, simply tossed the boards aside into a messy heap, and Pinkamena twitched slightly at the clank of every wooden slat against the others, making Scrivener smile despite himself as Luna said mildly: "Children, thine parents are about to leave. Will thou not take a moment from the fun and games to bid us farewell?" "Fine, if you insist, mother." Pinkamena rolled her head on her shoulders, sounding exasperated as she stood up and then glared over at them with her gemstone eyes, the look remarkably distinct even with her marionette features. "Gee, I sure will miss you and dad while you're out destroying the world and reaping the souls of the dead. Don't worry though, I'll take care of the pet rock and the bottled-up bug, I won't eat or kill either one of them… I'll try and restrict myself to just maybe breaking a few bones here and there." She shot a look towards the Velite, who winced a bit and held a board up between them like a shield, and Luna sighed and rolled her eyes before her horn glowed blue as she irritably flicked it to the side, Pinkamena wincing as several screws and bolts loudly tore themselves out of her body before two of her limbs fell off and the puppet crumpled on its side with a grumbled curse. "Thou art not nearly as amusing as myself or Scrivener Blooms, Pinkamena. The color of jealousy does not lend itself in flattering ways to thy dead visage." "So I should just stick with the colors of blood and death, then?" Pinkamena asked sarcastically as she half-rolled onto her stomach with a grumble, reaching out to begin fitting one foreleg back into place as she muttered: "Stupid touchy Nightmare Moon…" "I'll touch thee back into the grave." Luna grumbled in return, and then she sighed and turned her attention to the Velite, adding dryly: "Worry not, Pollen, Pinkamena will grow more amiable as time passes, I am certain. Thou should be thankful and wary of the fact the creature likes to stick to its word." The Velite mumbled a little in response to this, then awkwardly reached out as if to help, but Pinkamena only glared at her as she managed to yank a foreleg back into place, the possessed marionette grumbling as the fasteners that held her limb in place twisted themselves slowly back into their holes. "I want you to know you're all worse than sissy ever was." "Worry not, Pinkamena, 'tis exactly what I always intended." Luna replied dryly, and then her horn glowed when the possessed puppet reached for a bolt that had torn loose, tossing it easily just out of reach, and the half-demon grumbled under her breath. "Well. This has been a rousing sendoff. Scrivener Blooms?" Scrivy smiled a bit he headed over to the satchel bag they had prepared for the journey, filled with a few implements to aid with Luna's more-complex magic, parchment and ink and a quill, a few good luck charms and several other odds and ends. The weight was almost comfortable as Scrivener slipped it on, and Luna smiled after a moment at him before she glanced towards Pinkamena and Pollen, the puppet sitting grudgingly up on its haunches, the Velite standing and leaning towards them half-anxiously. "Worry not, friends, we shall return as soon as we are able. Finish the fortifications of the wagon, listen to one another, and take care of Discombobulation." "Yeah, yeah, get going." Pinkamena said rudely, and the two ponies rolled their eyes as the skeleton sitting beside the puppet mumbled awkwardly, but this only made the possessed marionette snort and glare at her. "Fine, pet rock, go ahead and spit it out." Pollen shuffled a bit, then rose a hoof and said lamely: "Good luck and… I hope things go well. We'll… be here." "One of us will be, at least." Pinkamena said grouchily, and Scrivener and Luna traded looks, then both sighed at the same time before favoring the puppet with the same flat glare, the possessed marionette grumbling a bit as it flopped backwards. "Whatever. I'm out." Despite her words, however, the puppet only moodily sat… and Scrivener rolled his eyes as Luna gave a sigh and turned around, saying irritably: "Come then, Scrivy. Before this grows any more theatrical, 'tis time for the march ahead. Perhaps we shall encounter some stupid Nibelung on the way that shall alleviate my sorrows and frustrations." The two ponies turned as Pollen waved awkwardly at their back and Pinkamena grumbled to herself, and winged unicorn and earth pony both strode across the heavy planks they had laid over the ditch to pull the wagon across, stepping out onto the dusty path through the Empty Forest beyond. And as always, both glanced quietly back over their shoulders once, looking at their ramshackle cabin and the mostly-repaired wagon that stood in front of it, Velite and half-demon both gazing at them still from the ruins of the pulled-apart deck. Then the two turned forwards again, and Luna smiled a little despite herself as she murmured softly: "We walked this very same path so long ago, Scrivy… I remember so clearly, daydreamer, how much hope we had. The tension, the excitement…" Scrivener laughed a bit, lowering his head forwards as he said quietly: "Sounds like you remember a little differently than I remember, Luna… I remember a lot of whining and complaining. Mostly from me, of course, but you did a little yourself." "Aye, perhaps there was that too, but I also remember that in our depths, there was a gladness for the journey… and we did discover so much, didn't we? We found my past, my origin… we made new allies, and new friends. We conquered old enemies and ourselves, and we clawed through the worst of evils that the universe could throw at us and still found a measure of success. Even if we failed too, aye… we all the same also found our shades of victory amidst the grimness and the gloom." Luna hesitated, looking towards Scrivy and murmuring softly: "And I am excited for this journey, even if part of me is saddened that reality has become so damaged, that… our time here is almost over, and we have saved so few lives compared to all that was lost." "Yes, Luna, but we are saving everypony we can… all the same, we're pushing forwards. We can't let despair and the disappointment of… what happened, and in ourselves, overwhelm us." Scrivener replied quietly, glancing towards Luna, and the female smiled faintly as she nodded slowly. "Now come on. Let's go back to you trying vainly to be optimistic and me being pessimistic. Everything works a lot better that way." "I am attempting to be optimistic, does thou not listen to the words I so speak?" Luna asked grouchily, and Scrivener snorted in entertainment as he shook his head with an amused look to her. "Silence, knave. Wretched creature, thou art utterly insufferable. 'Tis fortunate I am so fond of thee, 'lest otherwise I would be tempted to leave thee in the middle of the forest for the Phooka to gorge on." "Now, you and I both know that the Phooka have better things to eat than us." Scrivener replied dryly, and Luna grunted at this and nodded thoughtfully. They both studied each other for a few moments as silence fell between them, sharing thoughts and images and emotions that seemed almost random… and then they both faced ahead even as they slipped instinctively closer at the same time, sides almost pressing together as they strode quietly and calmly past dead, warped trees along rocky, barren earth. For an hour, they walked in silence… and then both of them looked up as an unearthly shadow flitted across the path in front of them before it halted near the edge of the forest. They both halted, studying this with curiosity as it stared back at them… and despite the strangeness of it, neither of them felt malice or aggression. It was like a Pale, but instead of white and surrounded by sparkling, incandescent frost, it was deep black, smoke humming softly around it. Its eyes glowed solid ivory, blank and bright and yet not without a sense of intelligence, of emotion that made their rhombus-like shape twist as the large, pony-shaped figure leaned towards them almost expectantly for a moment, pawing a hoof against the ground… and Luna growled at it as she leaned back irritably, asking sharply: "Is that a challenge, creature? Well, I am sorry to disappoint thee, but I have not the time to have another race through the wilderness. My husband and I are heading northwards… thou will have to find other playmates." The dark equine spirit looked almost disappointed as it shifted in place silently, then it half-turned and whinnied loudly, and a moment later several more dark spirits rushed across the road, seeming to form from thin air as the creature turned and shot into the woods alongside the rest of the group, and Luna shook her head as she muttered: "Strange creatures…" The pack of dark equines vanished as quickly as they had appeared, and Scrivener and Luna traded a look before they started forwards again, the winged unicorn almost sulking as the male gave her a slight smile, saying mildly: "That was a very grown-up-" "Shut up, Scrivy." Luna grumbled, and the male couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh, and Luna sighed before complaining loudly: "Well, 'tis incredibly irksome, they are… I know not even what they are! Strange entities, not Nightmare, not Phooka, not demons despite their odd and peculiarly-similar appearances, but they are more physical than the Pales of ponies yet all the same seem perfectly capable of vanishing as they please and move like the fleeting wind! And did thou not see what the creature did? It taunted us! Taunted us! And plainly, we are in no shape for any challenge… 'tis cowardly. That thing, whatever else, is a craven coward, asking for… another foolish race when… when we are obviously too busy for another foolish race. Foolishness." "I love you." Scrivener said simply, and Luna huffed and headbutted him lightly, making the male snort in entertainment before he added mildly: "Also, you need to stop being so damned competitive about everything. We're living the apocalypse, and your immediate concern every time we see those things goes from 'we need to continue herding souls to Looking Glass World' to 'oh stupid ghosts I'm going to outrace the stupid ghosts and pummel them.'" "I shall pummel thee if thou continues this." Luna grumbled moodily, and Scrivener laughed and shook his head, then frowned a bit as he caught a glint in the corner of his glasses… and immediately Luna shot a look over her shoulder as the two halted, staring in surprise to see one of the dark specters calmly standing in the road behind them, surveying them curiously. "And what manner of nonsense is this?" It only continued to calmly look at them, however, and Scrivener and Luna both frowned a bit as they turned slowly around, studying it. It was closer than any of them had ever stood before, watching them without fear, and without malign intent… and this close, they could see it closely resembled an earth pony. But the build was a little different somehow all the same, subtle details that they could see but could not define… and then the creature calmly stepped towards them before bringing a hoof forwards through the dirt and scratching out an image in rapid, easy movements. The two frowned and stared at the picture it drew for them: two circles, with an arch drawn between them. Then it leaned to the side and drew a quick X through one of the circles, and Scrivener and Luna traded looks before the dark shape patted this circle, then drew its hoof along the archway to the next and tapped it firmly. Luna and Scrivener looked up at the dark ghost… then they looked at one-another, trading thoughts, ideas, emotions and reasoning in a tumult and immediately settling on one distinct possibility before they both returned their gazes towards the creature, Luna asking slowly: "Thou… perhaps thy whole strange herd… wishes to travel across the Bifrost?" The thing nodded solemnly… and then, surprisingly, it bowed deep to them… but before Luna or Scrivy could speak, the specter simply vanished from sight, and the two stared at the space it had once occupied before Luna gritted her teeth, then blew a loud raspberry in disgust. "I am not a… a butler, or a… chauffeur between worlds, creature! Thou cannot just order me to do this for thee and then… damnable creature!" Luna stomped forwards and mashed her hooves violently against the drawing, bludgeoning it into an indecipherable mess, and then she sighed and turned around, saying moodily: "Come, Scrivener Blooms. 'Lest the creature be foolish enough to show its face and we end up losing more time thanks to my need to pummel it roundly." Scrivy smiled awkwardly as he turned and followed her, even as he felt beneath the anger her swirl of apprehension, mixing with his own suspicious thoughts. After all, they still didn't know what these entities were, nor what it meant that the creature had seemingly asked to cross the Bifrost to the Looking Glass World. It was more questions, more weight, added to the unpredictable future… and neither pony liked the thought of the possibilities that could be laying in wait. Top ↑ Category:Transcript Category:Story